Chicken Sorrentino

We love both Chicken Parmesan and Eggplant Parmesan so when Dennis posted on his “Ask Chef Dennis” blog the recipe for Chicken Sorrentino, which contains them both, I knew it had to be tried.  His recipes have the feature that changes the ingredient amounts for more or less servings and I increased it for six servings to get the recipe below.  The original recipe along with great how-to pics can be found by clicking on the above link.

Chicken Sorrentino – slightly adapted from Ask Chef Dennis

Ingredients:

1½ eggplant peeled and sliced thinly longways ¼-½ inch thick – 6 cutlets are needed

1½ cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1½ cup seasoned bread crumbs Italian style

3 large eggs lightly beaten with ¼ cup of water added to make your egg wash

3/8 cup water

¾ cup vegetable oil to saute eggplant cutlets- more if needed

Chicken

3 tbsp olive oil to saute chicken breasts, more if needed

1½ pound 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 ounces each breast)

3¾ cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

3 cup sliced mushrooms (add more oil to saute mushrooms if needed)

1½ cup chicken stock

1½ ounce splash of white wine optional

¾ tsp granulated garlic

¾ tsp granulated onion

¾ tsp black pepper

Assembly

2¼ cup marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce

3 ounces prosciutto sliced very thin

3 tablespoons grated romano cheese

3/8 lb provolone cheese thin slices – 2 slices for each portion

1½ tbsp fresh chopped parsley garnish

Instructions:

1. Since I was making six servings, I used two skillet’s and cooked the eggplant in just one and the chicken in both then added half of everything to each one.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

3. Dredge the eggplant cutlets in flour, then in egg wash, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to fully coat the eggplant in each of the steps of the breading station.

4. In a large saute pan over high heat add enough olive oil to the pan to fry one side of the eggplant at a time. Fry each side of the breaded eggplant until its golden brown. Set on a wire rack or paper towels to drain.

5. Empty the oil from the saute pan and wipe it out with paper towels.

6. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and allow to get hot over medium-high heat.

7. Make the chicken cutlets from larger breasts and Jaccard both sides.

8. Season cutlets with S&P.

9. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, then place into pan with hot oil, sear one side of the chicken and turn it over to saute the other side.

10.At this time add the sliced mushrooms to the pan.

11.Continue cooking over medium heat, allowing the mushrooms to cook until soft, at this point the chicken should almost be fully cooked.

12.Add a splash of wine to stop cooking, add the chicken stock, seasonings and mix well. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

13.Place the fried eggplant cutlets on a baking dish, add a few spoons of marinara sauce on top of the eggplant and sprinkle liberally with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

14.Place the sauteed chicken breasts on top of the eggplant with some of the mushrooms (I forgot to save some for the very top).

15.Place a slice of prosciutto on top of the chicken breasts.

16.Top the prosciutto with two slices of provolone cheese. 

Place the completed chicken sorrentino in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted and an instant read thermometer reads an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.

17.Garnish the portions with fresh chopped Italian parsley, and serve with your favorite pasta or side dish.

The Verdict:

I wanted to make something special for my last cooking prior to toe surgery and this dish was outstanding and a big hit with everyone – on a scale of 1 to 4, neighbor, Pat, gave it 5 stars and it would be hard to argue with her.  Sorry about the black lettering but not sure why it did that.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

07/26/22 meal date